Sujata Gamage, PhD MPA Sujata Gamage is a scientist ... - LIRNEasia

Sujata Gamage, PhD MPA
Sujata Gamage is a scientist who specializes in knowledge for development. She heads the
Knowledge to Innovation project at LIRNEasia where she explores the knowledge to innovation
process in solid waste services in local government in Sri Lanka. She also studies the role of
universities in developing countries, assessing their capacity and experimenting in creative ways
of connecting universities to the development processes.
Previously she has served as (a) strategic planning specialist at the Ohio State University, USA,
developing an academic quality scorecard for that university (b) the Analytic Director of a team
of consultants at QRC Macro International in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, responsible for
conducting and reporting on science resources for the US National Science Foundation and (c)
the Director General of the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission of Sri Lanka
revitalizing the implementation of an ADB funded project on a national vocational qualification
framework for Sri Lanka.
Her consultancies include a “Faculty Quality Report” for public university system in Sri Lanka
and the “Corporate Plan for 2003‐2008” for the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka,
reports on “Quality through Connectedness for Universities in Small Developing Countries” and
“Knowledge for Development: Role of Universities in Developing Countries” for the
International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada.
Sujata holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a Master’s
in Public Administration from the Ohio State University, USA.
Education
Master’s in Public Administration, 1996, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
Ph.D. (Chemistry), 1985, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
B.Sc., 1976, University of Sri Lanka, Peradeniya Campus, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Employment
2005 ‐ Date Lead Scientist and Knowledge for Development Specialist, LIRNEasia
2004 ‐ 2005 Consultant, University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka
2003 ‐ 2004 Director General, Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) of Sri
Lanka
2002 ‐ 2003 Visiting Scholar, Center for Science, Policy and Outcomes, 1 Thomas Circle, NW,
Suite 1075, Washington, D.C. 20002, USA
2000 ‐ 2001 Analytic Director, QRC Division of ORC Macro International, Bethesda, MD, USA
1998 ‐ 2000 Strategic Planning Specialist, Ohio State University
1996 ‐ 1998 Administrator for Research support Programs, Ohio Board of Regents, USA
1976 ‐ 1996 University teacher and researcher in chemistry, Sri Lanka and USA

Funded Research
2008‐2010 Knowledge to Innovation in Government Services: the case of solid waste
services in Sri Lanka, Funded by the International Development Research Center
(IDRC) of Canada, US$ 425,000
2004‐2006 Promoting excellence in teaching and research through global connectivity.
Funded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada and
implemented through the University Grants Commission, US$ 44,000
Best practices in North‐South research collaborations: A case study of Sri Lanka.
Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, Award Number=0328729, US$
50,000
Policy Papers and Scholarly Publications
Sujata Gamage and Samarajiva, R. (2008). Internet Presence as Knowledge Capacity: The Case
of Research in Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Reform. Information
Technologies & International Development, North America, 4 1 03 2008.
http://itidjournal.org/itid/article/view/304)
Sujata Gamage (2008). Right to Education is Meaningless without Accountability in the Public
Education Sector. Law and Society Trust Review (Sri Lanka). Volume 18 Issue 248 June
http://www.lawandsocietytrust.org/web/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=124&
Itemid=143
Sujata N Gamage and OG Dayaratne Banda (2008). Education in Sri Lanka: An Economic
Perspective. Sanvada Policy Brief 08. Pathfinder Foundation, Colombo, Sri Lanka
http://sanvada.org/images/documents/sanvada%20policy%20brief%20on%20education.pdf
Rohan Samarajiva and Sujata Gamage (2007). Bridging the Divide: Building Asia‐Pacific.
Information Society, Volume 23 , Issue 2 , March, Pages 109‐117.
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfmid=1392727&dl=GUIDE&coll=GUIDE)
Quality through Global Connectivity: Strategies for Universities in Small States, Technical Report
to the Research on Knowledge Systems (RoKS), International Development Research Center,
Canada, 2006.
https://idl‐bnc.idrc.ca/dspace/handle/123456789/30581
Quality of Faculty in Humanities and Social Science in the Public University System in Sri Lanka,
in The Development of the University System in Sri Lanka, 2001‐2006, the Sixth University
Grants Commission, University Grants commission, Colombo, Sri Lanka; and the Journal of the
University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka (Vol 9) 2005, pp 1‐11.

http://www.sljol.info/index.php/JULA/article/viewFile/310/353
Sujata Gamage and Rohan Samarajiva. Science and Technology Inputs for Information and
Communication infrastructure Development in Sri Lanka, Proceedings of the Biennial
Conference on Science and Technology, National Science and Technology Council of Sri Lanka,
Beruwela, Sri Lanka, September 5‐7, 2002.
A Profile of the Undergraduate population at the Ohio State University, an Analysis of the
College Student Survey, Resource Planning and Institutional Analysis. Ohio State University.
January 2000
Reshaping Graduate Education in Science and Engineering. Association of Women in Science
Magazine. Volume 28, Number 4, Fall 1999.
University Research Centers: A Benchmarks and Best Practices Study, Report to the Senior Vice
Provost, Office of Academic Affairs, Ohio State University, May 27, 1998.
Attrition of Freshmen at the Ohio State University: An Analysis of the 1997 Student Satisfaction
Survey. of Academic Affairs, Ohio State University. 1997.
An Evaluation of the Ohio Board of Regents Action Fund Program: Implications for Research
Program Management. The Ohio State University, School of Public Policy and Management,
1996.
Human Health Risk from Power Frequency Electromagnetic Fields. Report of the Environmental
Priorities ’95 Committee, Public Health Department, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 1995.
Research Presentations/Invited Lectures
A Framework for Assessing Municipal Solid Waste Management, Waste Safe, Khulna,
Bangladesh, February 13‐15, 2011
Taking Stock of the Asian Higher Education Landscape, World Universities Forum, Hong Kong,
January 13‐17, 2011
Merits of the Carnegie Classification System: A User‐Driven Multi‐Dimensional Framework for
Higher Education, Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence
Building Systems (Globelics), Kuala Lumpur, November , 2010
Merits of the Carnegie Classification System: A User‐Driven Multi‐Dimensional Framework for
Higher Education, Council for Higher Education, Islamabad, Pakistan. April 27, 2010

Lessons in Knowledge Management for Policy Makers in Developing Countries: The Case of
Solid Waste Services in Sri Lanka. Innovation Symposium. WITS University, Johannesburg, South
Africa. February 24‐26, 2010
Merits of the Carnegie Classification System: A User‐Driven Multi‐Dimensional Framework for
Higher Education. Council for Higher Education, Pretoria, South Africa. February 23, 2010
Panel on innovation systems (Glenda Kruss, Human Sciences Research council, South Africa;
Rasheed Sulaiman, Centre for Research on Innovation and Science Policy, India; and Sujata
Gamge, LIRNEAsia, LIRNEasia@5 Conference, Colombo, Sri Lanka. December 9‐11, 2009.
http://lirneasia.net/projects/lirneasia‐at‐5/
Digital Content: Why K4D won’t work without. Third International Conference of the
University Librarians Association. Colombo, June 2007
A Knowledge Network for Communication Policy Research in the Asia pacific. CPRsouth1
Conference, Manila, Philippines, January 19‐21, 2007. (http://www.cprsouth.org/index.html/)
Ranking Higher Education Institutions in Developing Countries: A Feasibility Study from Sri
Lanka. Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference of the South East Association of Institutional
Researchers in Langkawi, Malaysia, September 4‐6, 2006, p. 316‐319.
Framework for Assessing and Ranking the Quality of University Faculty. Proceedings of the Sixth
Annual Conference of the South East Association of Institutional Researchers in Langkawi,
Malaysia, September 4‐6, 2006, p. 320‐326
A Labor Market Information System for Higher Education, A User Perspective, Workshop for
Deans in Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, University Grants Commission, March 17,
2006, Colombo, Sri Lanka
From Lecturers to Excellent Teachers: Preliminary Results in Evaluating Scholarly Capacity of
Humanities and Social Science Lecturers in Sri Lankan Universities. 1st Annual Conference of the
Sri Lanka Association for Improving Higher Education Effectiveness (SLAIHEE). 31st March 2005,
University of Colombo
Promoting Excellence in Teaching and Research through Connectivity to Global Knowledge
Networks: Strategies for a Small State, Research on Knowledge Systems Workshop, IDRC,
Ottawa, Canada, April 24‐26, 2004
Post‐graduate Research and Norms of Scholarship. University Grants Commission’s Seminar on
Postgraduate Research and National Development, August 21, 2004, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
From Provider to Facilitator: A New Role for Government in Tertiary Education, Public Seminar
Series‐1, Sari Lanka Economics Association, October 10, 2003, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Technology Inputs to Information and communication Infrastructure Development in
Developing Countries, International Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation, Center
for International Development, Harvard University, September 23‐24, 2002.
Global Knowledge Networks: Strategies for a Small State, Research on Knowledge Systems
Workshop, IDRC, Ottawa, Canada, April 24‐26, 2004
Technical and Vocational Education: A Fresh Approach, Marie Musaeus Higgins‐Peter de Abrew
Memorial Lecture, Musaeus College, Colombo, Sri Lanka, August, 2003
Technology Inputs to Information and communication Infrastructure Development in
Developing Countries, International Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation, Center
for International Development, Harvard University, September 23‐24, 2002.
Using the US National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Resource Surveys for
Institutional Analysis, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Universities Data
Exchange, Annapolis, MD, April 3, 2001
Using the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates for Institutional Research
at the Academic Program Level. Annual meeting of the Association of American Universities
Date Exchange, Madison, Wisconsin, MD, June 17, 2000
Using the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates for Institutional Research
at the Academic Program Level, Association of Institutional Research Forum 2000, Cincinnati,
Ohio, May 21–24, 2000 (with Maia Bergman)
Versatility of the Graduate Programs in the US. Graduation Education in the New Millennium
Symposium of the American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, March 26, 2000
Research Programs at the Ohio Board of Regents. Plenary Session Presenter, Ohio Chapter of
the Society for Research Administrators, Columbus, Ohio, July 1997
Science Publications
S.N. Gamage and B.R. James, Use of Dioxygen/Dihydrogen Mixtures for Oxidations Catalyzed by
Rhodium Complexes. Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications, 1624–26
(1989).
S.N. Gamage, B.R. James, S.J. Rettig, and J. Trotter. Synthesis and structural characterization of
two tricilinic modifications ofcdiethylammonium trans‐tetracholorobis(di‐methylsulfoxide‐

S)rhodium(III):an example of hydrogen‐bond acceptor structural isomerism. Canadian Journal
of Chemistry, 66, 1123‐28 (1988).
S.N. Gamage, R.H. Morris, S.J. Rettig, D.C. Thackray, I.S. Thorburn, and B.R. James. Formation of
a trimethyldihydropermidinium cation from proton sponge [1,8‐
bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene] during base‐promoted reactions of rhodium and ruthenium
complexes. Journal of Chemical Society. Chemical communications: 894‐95 (1987).
S.N. Gamage, R.H. Morris, S.J. Rettig, and B.R. James. Formation of an h1‐ylidic enamine
complex of rhodium(III) during use of triethylamine for a base‐promoted reaction. Journal of
Organometallic Chemistry. 309(3): C59 (1986).
Memberships/Volunteer Work
Member, HR & Education Sub‐Committee, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (2007‐date)
Coordinator, Sri Lanka Education Forum, www.educationforum.lk (2005‐to date)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (1999 – 2005)
Association of Institutional Researchers (1997 – 2005)
Association of Women in Science, USA (1997 – 2005)
American Chemical Society (1988 – 2001)
Environmental Priorities Committee (City of Columbus (1995‐1996)
Ohio Environmental Council, Columbus, Ohio (1990 – 1994)
Ohio Citizen Action (1990 – 1994)
Committee on Chemicals and Chemical products, Sri Lanka Bureau of Standards (1985 –1987)